Road, track test: 2013 Scion FR-S

By John LeBlanc, Postmedia News

Originally published: November 8, 2012

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It’s been four years since we first saw it at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Toyota FT-86 concept. But Toyota’s back-to-basics sports car — sold around the world as the GT-86 and in North America as the Subaru BRZ and my Scion FR-S tester — is finally on sale.

Like the hype surrounding Chevrolet’s 2010 reboot of its Camaro franchise, the Toyota (and its Subaru/Scion doppelgangers) are seen as the Japanese automaker’s Jesus car: an icon of change for a company better known for its vanilla offerings. Even the president of Toyota — and grandson of the company’s founder — Akio Toyoda asked, “Where is the passion in our lineup? I want to build a sports car.”

But while the Camaro is supposed to create nostalgic tears in the eyes of aging Baby Boomers, the Scion FR-S has been targeted toward aging Generation Xers, the group that grew up with posters of 1990s Japanese sports cars on their walls.

In truth, Toyota’s saviour car is a Subaru. The Japanese rival (of which Toyota owns about 17%), supplied the flat-four engine, developed the chassis and builds the car. Toyota handled the styling and added its eight-injector direct and port fuel injection hardware to the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre Subaru boxer engine. Whatever badge is on its pointy nose, the question I wanted answered was if the Toyota/Subaru/Scion is the vehicle Mr. Toyoda wanted to build: an affordable (it costs about the same as a loaded Corolla) sports car.

Granted, automakers abuse the term “sports car” almost as badly as some politicians denigrate the word “democracy.” My definition means a car that can be comfortably driven on public roads to a race track, enjoyed thoroughly and then driven back home again without a trip to the repair shop in between. That’s why I drove this Hot Lava-hued 2013 Scion FR-S to Calabogie Motorsports Park, a closed race track surrounded by some of the best driving back roads in Eastern Ontario.

Just sitting in the Scion delivers a sports car feel. Relative to most modern cars, your backside kisses the ground. (The main reason the Subie mill was chosen was to keep the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible; lower than a Porsche Cayman, say its makers.) And while most of the FR-S’s interior bits (such as the climate controls nicked from a Toyota Yaris) are economy car grade, the parts the driver engages with on a regular basis — the seats, steering wheel and gear shifter — are driver-oriented bits of kit. On my way to the track, on public four- and two-laners, the Scion’s engine and exhaust are definitely louder than any new Toyota I’ve recently driven. Its front MacPherson struts and double-wishbone rear have been set on “firm.” The FR-S’s lightweight chassis (at 1,251 kilograms, it’s about 274 kg lighter than a $28,799 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec) means it hops and skips over bad pavement. And although its spec sheet says it can seat four, the Scion’s two squabs in the back (which can fold down for extra cargo space) are spousal seats only (“Honey, it’s a four-seater!”)

Sports car fans will forgive the FR-S for all these day-to-day driving sins after a run up through its manual gearbox’s six forward gears. The car isn’t terribly quick. Zero to 100 kilometres an hour takes about six seconds. But your senses will scream “sports car” from the blatty-blat of its rorty four and the positive nudges the short-throw gearbox demands. On public roads, the FR-S offers quick, direct steering and an athletic — if firm-riding — chassis. And it makes all the right “sports car” noises. But so does a Scion tC. And that, my friends, is no sports car.

So the moment of truth for the FR-S (and parent Toyota’s reputation) came when I was ushered on to the main straight of the Calabogie closed circuit. At the first turn, you get a better understanding of how relatively skinny the FR-S’s rubber is. The 215/45-17 rubber loses grip quickly, but in a predictable and linear fashion. With stability control engaged, the Scion’s handling is neutral — its front slides as easily as its rear. But with the e-nannies off, it’s quite easy to gradually rotate the Scion’s rear around.

Toyota says the FR-S’s tail-happy setup was deliberate, in honour of the rear-drive 1980s Corolla SR-5 compact coupe — a favourite with the drifting crowd. But on a wide-open track, with its Torsion limited-slip differential working away, sports car zealots will appreciate the Scion’s willingness to let the driver take over.

So the verdict is in. Yes, Mr. Toyoda, you have the sports car you asked for.

In fact, except for the near-identical Subaru clone, there’s really nothing on the market that matches the new 2013 Scion FR-S’s pure driving pleasure/price ratio. And for those who want more (i.e., grip, power, looks), the aftermarket is only a click of a computer mouse away.